Managing Commitments
Overview:
The Commitments function in Lynx helps organizations track obligations, promises, and follow-through items tied to operations, community engagement, environmental management, and compliance work.
Commitments are useful when your team needs to document something that must be completed, maintained, monitored, or reported over time.
Examples of commitments may include:
Completing community follow-up actions
Maintaining environmental controls
Documenting promised mitigation steps
Tracking internal or external obligations tied to a project
Following through on operational or compliance responsibilities
Lynx allows users to create commitments, assign ownership, set timelines, rate priority and risk, and monitor progress in one place.
-
Use the Commitments section when you need to track an item that is expected to be carried out over time.
This section is especially useful for:
community promises or follow-up items
environmental mitigation measures
project-related obligations
internal accountability items
ongoing actions that need an owner and status
A commitment is usually broader and more enduring than a single event.
If your team needs to document an action that must continue, be completed by someone, or be revisited later, a commitment is often the right tool. -
Commitment: is a tracked obligation, promise, action item, or responsibility that needs to be completed, monitored, or reviewed over time.
Commitment Code: A unique reference code used to identify and track a specific commitment.
Title: A short name that clearly describes the commitment.
Description: A brief explanation of what the commitment is, why it exists, or what must be done.
Category: The main grouping the commitment belongs to, such as community, environmental, operational, or compliance-related work.
Subcategory: A more specific grouping within the main category that helps organize commitments in greater detail.
Owner: The person responsible for managing, updating, or completing the commitment.
Priority: The level of urgency assigned to the commitment. This helps you understand what should be addressed first.
Risk Rating: The level of concern or impact associated with the commitment if it is not completed, maintained, or properly managed.
Start Date: The date the commitment begins or becomes active.
Due Date: The date the commitment should be completed by, if applicable.
Current Status: The current stage of the commitment, such as draft, active, complete, or another configured status used by your organization.
Status Reason: An explanation that gives more detail about the current status, especially when progress changes, delays occur, or clarification is needed.
Source: The related record, event, or origin connected to the commitment, if your organization uses source linking.
Open the full visual guide by clicking the Google Slides icon in the lower-right corner.
-
To add a new commitment:
1) Navigate to Commitments from the main Lynx navigation menu.
2) Click Add Commitment.
3) Enter the following information (red asterisks = required information):
Commitment Code*: a unique reference code used to identify and track the commitment
Title*: a concise name that clearly describes the commitment
Description: a clear explanation of the commitment
Category*: the main area the commitment belongs to
Sub Category: a more specific grouping
Type*: the type of commitment being tracked
Priority*: how urgent or important the commitment is
Owner*: the person responsible for it
Risk Rating*: the level of risk if it is not completed or maintained
Start Date*: when the commitment begins
Due Date: when it should be completed, if applicable
Current Status*: the current state of the work
Status Reason*: notes explaining the current status
4) Click save.
-
After a commitment has been created, you can return to it at any time to review or update its information.
To open an existing commitment:
Navigate to the Commitments section.
In the Commitment Registry, select the Commitment Code for the record you want to open.
Use the tabs to review or update different parts of the record:
Details
Contacts
Deliverables
Attachments
Update the relevant fields as needed.
Click Save to keep your changes.
-
Once a commitment has been created, it should be reviewed and updated as work moves forward.
Current status updates indicates the stage the Commitment is at:
Active
At Risk
Closed
Draft
Overdue
Submitted
Superseded
Verified
Waived
When updating status, use the Status Reason field to explain:
what has been done
what is still pending
why the status changed
any issue affecting completion
This helps other users understand the current condition of the commitment without needing separate emails or side notes.
-
The date and rating fields help users understand timing and importance.
Start Date:
The Start Date marks when the commitment begins or becomes active.
Due Date:
The Due Date is optional and is used when the commitment should be completed by a certain date. Not every commitment needs a due date. Some commitments are ongoing and may only need a start date and active status.
Priority:
The Priority field helps identify which commitments need the most immediate attention.
Risk Rating:
The Risk Rating helps communicate the impact of failing to complete or maintain the commitment.
Together, these fields help teams sort, review, and focus on the most important items first.
-
The main commitments grid allows users to review commitment records in one place.
From this view, users can:
scan all commitments
sort by owner, category, priority, or status
review overdue or high-risk items
open individual records for updates
This helps managers, project leads, and compliance staff keep track of open responsibilities across a project or organization.